Video download service CinemaNow comes to Canada in August (aka Cineplex) - Page 2 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

hugh · 2011-08-26, 07:59 AM

Went to the Customer support page

Guess I won't be shopping at CinemaNow!

j0dest3r · 2011-08-26, 03:23 PM

I love this in the FAQ.

Q: How do I watch these videos on my TV?

A: If your laptop has an S-video jack, then you can hook your computer directly to your TV. For more information and other suggestions on how to watch on your TV, click here.

LMAO~!

Lindsay649 · 2011-08-27, 10:26 AM

Do not like the idea of providing your credit card during the registration process in order to get on their mailing list. Still getting error for the customer support page. The app on my Sharp television set will still not access the site and still says service not available outside the United States. Not really interested but enjoy the concept.

oberst · 2011-08-31, 08:00 PM

Hugh, your August 26 article said "movies can be viewed on Windows computers, streamed through an Xbox 360 or a CinemaNow ready Blu-Ray player, TV or set-top box". Can the Canadian site actually stream to CE devices right now? I remember the original press releases seemed to indicate this was a two-step launch, and the new capabilities would come later in the year. Certainly the site seems to have no mention of anything other than the old Windows/s-video/XBOX stuff. But I'm not a streamer and I'm on a Mac, so I've got a double whammy against me when looking into this stuff...

hugh · 2011-08-31, 08:09 PM

Oberst, that information was posted on the Canadian CinemaNow site. I was surprised because in my original notes that is what it said so I checked it twice.

Seeing that the site is so messed up and not functional, it suggests the information was a copy from the U.S. Site and not properly QC's so buyer beware.

oberst · 2011-08-31, 08:35 PM

The original stories from earlier this summer said things like "Initially, CinemaNow will be available on computers only. However, the company plans to bring the service to connected TVs, Blu-ray players, mobile devices and video game consoles in the fall. My guess is this first wave just uses the old existing Roxio capabilities that Cineplex has had up and running for some time now. Anything better, like CE devices, is probably a stage-2 later this year. Zip.ca hasn't launched their (supposedly Roxio-based) streaming yet either, and my guess is Roxio or the studios haven't finished up the CE support for Canada yet.

Whereabouts did you see CE devices mentioned on the site? I went through their "How It Works" link, and it just had old-school stuff there (not even updated to mention Windows 7 or IE9).

hugh · 2011-08-31, 08:58 PM

Oberst, it appears they have made changes to the site in the last five days.

Under the Canada, it definitely noted the other devices. I still see a lot of typos on the site like

Quote:

How large is a vidoe file?
A: Our premium movie files for download are encoded at approximately 2200kbps (kilo bits per second).

So I think they have scrubbed a lot from the Canadian site including the device info which was probably just cut and paste from the U.S.

Jake · 2011-10-10, 09:43 AM

I can tell you that last years Samsung LED LCD models are now running CineamNow. I was browsing the titles yesterday on one (it did lock up the TV once). All titles I saw (old and new) were $5 to rent and $20 to purchase. I really doubt I could see myself buying a 2.2Mbps version for $20. Or renting one for $5 with all the other options out there.

oberst · 2011-10-14, 01:21 PM

This was definitely the Canadian store it was connecting to? The website "How it works" doesn't seem to have been updated to include mention of TV/Blu-ray players - it would be interesting to know if this is actually up and running. I didn't see anything new at the Cineplex site, either. Zip.ca is supposed to be streaming to Samsung eventually, so if things are in place they may finally launch as well.

Jake · 2011-10-14, 03:39 PM

I could not say as at the time I was more interested in the selection not the IP.

oberst · 2011-10-23, 01:13 PM

The Canadian Cinemanow site does seem to have been quietly updated to include references CE devices, so presumably they've got this going now.

oberst · 2011-10-24, 12:20 PM

Oddly enough, the Cineplex streaming site (also Roxio-powered), has a message up:

Quote:

Due to site maintenance our digital content is currently not available for playback. It is still possible to purchase or rent digital content, however playback will not be available until the completion of the site maintenance.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were updating to include CE device support as well (although I wouldn't be surprised if rats ate their network cabling and they have to rewire, either).

Jake · 2011-10-24, 03:49 PM

I checked the CE Samsung hardware list and the TV, a UN46C6400 is not listed strangely enough.

The app is there. You have to install it and enter the generated code into the website fro cinemanow. This is using a Canadian ISP and the TV was purchased in Canada. It was been updated automatically via the network connection.

Granted I never tried to stream anything. I did look for free content but nada.

One episode of How I met You Mother was $2.50 to rent.

MarcP · 2011-10-24, 03:55 PM

My first reflex when I heard of CinemaNow was to type www.cinemanow.ca in my browser. That URL redirects to zip.ca. Is Zip hoping to benefit from people like me making that typo?

oberst · 2011-10-24, 04:10 PM

Cinemanow used to be the name of the general platform, I believe. It then got attached to the BestBuy store instead, and the platform is called RoxioNow (and Roxio apparently got bought by Rovi, so it is a tangle). It may be that the domain name dates back before the split to when Zip was going to be the Cinemanow outlet for Canada, or just Zip thinking about these things early - they own a domain registrar service as well.

2011-08-26, 07:59 AM	#16
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,492	Went to the Customer support page Guess I won't be shopping at CinemaNow! __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2011-08-31, 08:09 PM	#20
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,492	Oberst, that information was posted on the Canadian CinemaNow site. I was surprised because in my original notes that is what it said so I checked it twice. Seeing that the site is so messed up and not functional, it suggests the information was a copy from the U.S. Site and not properly QC's so buyer beware. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2011-10-10, 09:43 AM	#23
Jake Moderator Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Gatineau and Ottawa Posts: 10,171	I can tell you that last years Samsung LED LCD models are now running CineamNow. I was browsing the titles yesterday on one (it did lock up the TV once). All titles I saw (old and new) were $5 to rent and $20 to purchase. I really doubt I could see myself buying a 2.2Mbps version for $20. Or renting one for $5 with all the other options out there. __________________ Tip: See an offending post? Don't reply, report it by clicking on the 'Report Post' icon.

2011-10-14, 03:39 PM	#25
Jake Moderator Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Gatineau and Ottawa Posts: 10,171	I could not say as at the time I was more interested in the selection not the IP. __________________ Tip: See an offending post? Don't reply, report it by clicking on the 'Report Post' icon.

2011-10-24, 03:49 PM	#28
Jake Moderator Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Gatineau and Ottawa Posts: 10,171	I checked the CE Samsung hardware list and the TV, a UN46C6400 is not listed strangely enough. The app is there. You have to install it and enter the generated code into the website fro cinemanow. This is using a Canadian ISP and the TV was purchased in Canada. It was been updated automatically via the network connection. Granted I never tried to stream anything. I did look for free content but nada. One episode of How I met You Mother was $2.50 to rent. __________________ Tip: See an offending post? Don't reply, report it by clicking on the 'Report Post' icon.

2011-08-26, 03:23 PM	#17
j0dest3r Veteran Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,617	I love this in the FAQ. Q: How do I watch these videos on my TV? A: If your laptop has an S-video jack, then you can hook your computer directly to your TV. For more information and other suggestions on how to watch on your TV, click here. LMAO~!

2011-08-27, 10:26 AM	#18
Lindsay649 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Woodstock, Ontario Posts: 1,058	Do not like the idea of providing your credit card during the registration process in order to get on their mailing list. Still getting error for the customer support page. The app on my Sharp television set will still not access the site and still says service not available outside the United States. Not really interested but enjoy the concept.

2011-08-31, 08:00 PM	#19
oberst Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 155	Hugh, your August 26 article said "movies can be viewed on Windows computers, streamed through an Xbox 360 or a CinemaNow ready Blu-Ray player, TV or set-top box". Can the Canadian site actually stream to CE devices right now? I remember the original press releases seemed to indicate this was a two-step launch, and the new capabilities would come later in the year. Certainly the site seems to have no mention of anything other than the old Windows/s-video/XBOX stuff. But I'm not a streamer and I'm on a Mac, so I've got a double whammy against me when looking into this stuff...

2011-08-31, 08:35 PM	#21
oberst Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 155	The original stories from earlier this summer said things like "Initially, CinemaNow will be available on computers only. However, the company plans to bring the service to connected TVs, Blu-ray players, mobile devices and video game consoles in the fall. My guess is this first wave just uses the old existing Roxio capabilities that Cineplex has had up and running for some time now. Anything better, like CE devices, is probably a stage-2 later this year. Zip.ca hasn't launched their (supposedly Roxio-based) streaming yet either, and my guess is Roxio or the studios haven't finished up the CE support for Canada yet. Whereabouts did you see CE devices mentioned on the site? I went through their "How It Works" link, and it just had old-school stuff there (not even updated to mention Windows 7 or IE9).

2011-10-14, 01:21 PM	#24
oberst Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 155	This was definitely the Canadian store it was connecting to? The website "How it works" doesn't seem to have been updated to include mention of TV/Blu-ray players - it would be interesting to know if this is actually up and running. I didn't see anything new at the Cineplex site, either. Zip.ca is supposed to be streaming to Samsung eventually, so if things are in place they may finally launch as well.

2011-10-23, 01:13 PM	#26
oberst Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 155	The Canadian Cinemanow site does seem to have been quietly updated to include references CE devices, so presumably they've got this going now.

2011-10-24, 03:55 PM	#29
MarcP Veteran Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Airdrie, AB Posts: 3,812	My first reflex when I heard of CinemaNow was to type www.cinemanow.ca in my browser. That URL redirects to zip.ca. Is Zip hoping to benefit from people like me making that typo?

2011-10-24, 04:10 PM	#30
oberst Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia Posts: 155	Cinemanow used to be the name of the general platform, I believe. It then got attached to the BestBuy store instead, and the platform is called RoxioNow (and Roxio apparently got bought by Rovi, so it is a tangle). It may be that the domain name dates back before the split to when Zip was going to be the Cinemanow outlet for Canada, or just Zip thinking about these things early - they own a domain registrar service as well.

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